Story: Waka – canoes

Hekenukumai Busby

Hekenukumai (Hector) Busby is a traditional navigator from Northland. He was inspired by Nainoa Thompson, the navigator of the Hōkūle‘a, a replica of a traditional Hawaiian canoe which voyaged to Aotearoa in 1985. In 1991–92 Hekenukumai built the waka hourua (double-hulled canoe) Te Aurere. It has now sailed over 30,000 nautical miles, visiting Hawaii, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island, as well as making three circumnavigations of the North Island. For his services to the community, Hekenukumai received the New Zealand Commemoration Medal in 1990 and an MBE in 1994.